Review: Binge or Cringe? Netflix’s ‘Designing Miami’ Debuts Reality TV’s Newest Power Couple
Move over property bros and fixer-uppers—Ray and Eilyn Jimenez are in town with all guns blazing. The stars of Netflix’s newest reality series, Designing Miami, bring a new twist to the power couple dynamic as owners of competing interior design companies. The series premiered late last month and focuses on newlyweds Ray and Eilyn in Southern Florida navigating their professional and personal lives, wanting to make it to the big leagues of design.
Meet The Jimenezes And Crew
Miami has recently experienced a real estate boom with a high surge in home buyers requiring interior designers, and the Jimenezes have taken full advantage of that boom. Eilyn owns Sire Design, where she and the creative associates specialize in minimalistic modern aesthetics. She takes pride in her Cuban heritage, emphasizes an all-female Latina team with a passion for interior design, and frequently collaborates with her father’s construction team for projects. Eilyn founded Sire Design over nine years ago, transforming it into the thriving business it is today with works featured in the Wall Street Journal. The team tackles multiple projects throughout the first season with many clients, including former NFL Quarterback EJ Manuel.
Meanwhile, Ray Jimenez begins the series by parting ways with a former business partner and launching his newest business, Raymond Nicolas. The season shows Ray’s turmoil of starting a newly branded business, and the viewers feel for him when his associates choose to stay with the former business instead of taking his offer to work at RM. Ray’s strong work ethic is fully displayed, having to start from the ground up, putting together a new team and office, and having it all lead up to the opening party of his firm at the end of the season. Ray’s aesthetic is the polar opposite of his wife’s, emphasizing maximalism, colors, and boldness in his design projects. His happy-go-lucky attitude definitely shines through in his creative works.
The series isn’t all work and home design, though. The self-proclaimed Latino power couple also deals with the mounting family pressure they receive on starting a family. Tensions rise, in a reality-TV-kinda-way, as the two designers collaborate in building their first home together and when Eilyn feels she doesn’t have Ray’s support telling others they are waiting to start a family. Overall, both feel their businesses are like their children and place most of their focus on work. Still, they know the importance of family, as both Ray and Eilyn enjoy spending quality time with their extended families on Saturdays. It is nice to see the warm dynamic the husband and wife have as they genuinely laugh and joke together after hectic work projects that seem never-ending.
The show’s central focus this season is primarily on Eilyn and Ray but allows a little space for their associates to shine. The Sire Design firm consists of Valentina, Camil, Karina, and Andrea as design and creative associates, each providing their own sets of flare to the team. The season’s eight episodes don’t allow viewers to get to know too much about them individually, but collectively they are a close-knit team of professionals who genuinely love what they do for work. As children of immigrants, Eilyn and Ray take pride in their diverse teams and emphasize a team with a strong Latino background. A significant highlight is seeing the team showcase their finalized work to the client, the joy the client receives in seeing their new updated space, and the pride the team has in a good job’s work.
Was It A Binge Or Cringe?
Season one is a definite binge—Netflix loves to end an episode with a cliffhanger, ultimately inviting you to start the next episode. Designing Miami is a great watch to plan the design for your future dream beach house, but the ultimate grab is the dynamic of Eilyn and Ray as a couple and as business owners. While stressful moments do come in working on hectic design projects, it’s the way the teams navigate through that stress to provide a finished product they are all proud of. Watching Team Sire work feels like watching genuine friends collaborate and having a great time, instead of other shows that come off as shallow and over-produced. Eilyn and Ray provide a great twist to the power couple dynamic as owners of competing businesses but ultimately support each other in a very modern, sophisticated fashion.
Who Will Like It?
Even if a viewer has zero knowledge of interior design as a profession (like myself), it’s a great reality series binge that features insight into the dynamics of operating booming businesses and building an empire as a power couple. Those who dabble in interior design will enjoy the art of understanding clients’ needs to create a functional space. The show is excellent to watch on a rainy fall day to see the different styles and aesthetics a space can have and the logistics of accomplishing those spaces.
Season one of Designing Miami is currently streaming all eight episodes on Netflix. The series currently holds a 7.1 rating on IMDb and is produced by Spokes Studios. The production studio also develops Buying Beverly Hills for Netflix and Secret Restoration on The History Channel. As of now, there is no word on a second season being released, but it is likely to appear in the Summer of 2023 if it does.
